Why Use Explore Transplant?

The purpose of the Explore Transplant Patient Education Program is to help kidney patients make informed transplant decisions.

Explore Transplant recommends that every eligible patient decide for themselves whether to stay on dialysis or pursue deceased or living donor transplantation. The copyrighted educational program discusses both the benefits and risks of transplantation. The program was designed by a transplant decision-making expert, Amy D. Waterman, PhD, of Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center, in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Explore Transplant program has received the 2009 Quality-of-Care Award from NATCO, The Organization of Transplant Professionals, and multiple other healthcare education awards.  To date, over 1000 healthcare professionals have been trained to use the Explore Transplant program with their patients, and the program is currently being used in hundreds of clinics across the country. A group randomized controlled trial of its effectiveness revealed that patients receiving Explore Transplant education were more knowledgeable about transplant, more likely to be discussing living donation with family members and friends, and more likely to begin transplant evaluation compared to patients given standard education about transplant.

The Explore Transplant written educational materials are available in both English and Spanish. The videos are also available in both English and Spanish, and both are closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.